“Holy @$#%!” said Adam Hinterthuer in Scientific American. It turns out that “dropping the F-bomb” and other swear words can actually relieve physical pain. At least that’s the finding of psychologists at Britain’s Keele University, who had students hold their hands in freezing cold water and yell first profanities then “more socially acceptable words.” When cursing, students held their hands in about 40 seconds longer.
The researchers, writing in the journal NeuroReport, suggest that “spewing foul language” triggers our “fight-or-flight” response, said Paul Taylor in Canada’s Globe and Mail, releasing adrenalin and prompting other physiological pain-tolerance changes. That contradicts earlier theories, that swearing made pain worse by embellishing its severity.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 weather-beaten cartoons about the Texas floodsCartoons Artists take on funding cuts, politicizing tragedy, and more
-
What has the Dalai Lama achieved?The Explainer Tibet’s exiled spiritual leader has just turned 90, and he has been clarifying his reincarnation plans
-
Europe's heatwave: the new front line of climate changeIn the Spotlight How will the continent adapt to 'bearing the brunt of climate change'?
